Art Lord of Art Lord and the Self-Portraits is decked out in a white tuxedo, his sharp black hair slicked back, singing in a smooth and seductive croon, cradling the microphone like it's his dancing partner, lowered gracefully into a dip. Behind him, the Self-Portraits stand expressionless in black turtlenecks and pants, looking like Dieter triplets from the Sprockets skit on Saturday Night Live. In the growing crowd of PBR-sipping, vintage-and-Goodwill-decked hipsters, Michael Phillips (a.k.a. "Sparky"), the event's organizer, moves through the room, chatting with friends, stopping occasionally to nod his head and watch the band.

It's just another Tuesday night, but it's more than that. It's "The Spark."

The Spark has been happening since November 2004, when Phillips began booking local bands to play the Newberry Room on Tuesdays.

"The idea was to see if I was capable of booking another weekly night of awesome local music," says Phillips. "The Spark is just a goofy name. People can call it The Horny Ice Cream Truck Man. The name doesn't matter."

Part of the excitement of The Spark is its variability. Phillips has no set guidelines for the bands that he books. He only tries to showcase some "awesome local music," as he puts it, though he will book bands from outside the scene if it will contribute to the night's overall awesomeness.

"The shows I try to put on don't follow any particular genre," says Phillips. "I try to make it as cohesive and complementary to each band's sound and vibe. We'll try it out and hope that it'll be the best night possible for the people coming out and the bands."

Phillips says he relies a lot on personal connections when it comes to finding bands to play, but he also makes use of Web sites like myspace.com to find and contact bands.

"I wanted to do more to support bands from the area, offer them a place to play, and hopefully the music-lovers will come," says Phillips.

Art Lord and the Self-Portraits, who hail from Greenville, N.C., and play '80s-influenced, lo-fi dance rock, shared the bill with Desert Sea from Salem, N.H. who moved between indie ?á la Franz Ferdinand and more straight-ahead dark punk, and the grand quirky pop of Texas Governor (for whom Phillips plays keyboards). The show was supposed to double as a CD-release party for Texas Governor, but the CD wasn't ready yet. There was, however, a "Happy Birthday" sing-along in honor of Sparky's dad (who turned 57) and birthday cake for whomever wanted it.

"People have proven that they don't mind coming back (to another show)," says Phillips of the audience. "They keep an open mind and are supportive."

The audience seemed ideal for the event. They cheered supportively for each band, with some people gathered in front of the stage, dancing or nodding their heads receptively. Others milled around the bar and tables, talking amiably, keeping the music as a soundtrack to their night.

Two-thirds into Texas Governor's set, singer Dave Goolkasian announced, "This one's meant for people to sing along and clap. But if you can't do that, you can just drink."

The band then played "Drinking With Strangers," a country-tinged waltz about regret, aging and drinking, with the band's sound, filled out by the addition of a bassoon and clarinet, swelling to an almost orchestral size. By the third chorus, some of the audience was comfortable enough to join in, singing, "I was trying to find my way out of this place, and now I'm too drunk to leave."

The next Spark, on Tuesday, March 29, will feature Giant Bat, Fumare and Valley. Check it out.